The last Horcrux
by Mordronous
Summary: The world has faced tragedy after tragedy at the hands of the Dark Lord. Hero's lay slain, buried in there own shallow graves, as the rest of the world is left to fend at the hands of the renewed Dark Lord! Pwrful HP&HG, Pwrful LV, Ancient Magic explored!
1. Prologue: Death of a Hero

**A/n: This story is temporarily Postponed. With college and a part time job I simply don't have enough time to write chapters, and I don't want everyone expecting chapters weekly so I'm postponing an update until i get on top of my schooling a little bit. Please stick with the story, and i'm very sorry for the wait. **

* * *

As she gazed at the frost covered granite laying before her, she couldn't help but think how unfair the world had become. She and her friends had always stood through every spell, curse and challenge the world could manage to throw at them as if it was nothing. Maybe that was why the sudden blow had been so surprising to her, she had fallen into a sense of invincibility, only to have it shattered in one brief moment.

She laughed bitterly.

The whole world had been unprepared for the tragedy as the world bathed in blood.

She drifted off into her memories again thinking back just over five years ago to when the world was doomed. Of course it had been Halloween. Everything always happened on Halloween.

She had been watching him carefully that day as he walked into the great hall of Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. As the weight of the world weighed upon his frail shoulder's, it always seemed to bare upon him the most on this cursed day. She could tell by his ever shifting stance, and constant pocket checking that he was edgy, ready for anything to happen, despite the wards and wizards around him. She remembered waving him over, frowning slightly as a Slytherin approached from behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder she was sure his brow knitted together in confusion, as he did so often, as the golden globe the Slytherin had thrown spun through the air toward him before stopping just in front of the young man's face. She saw him draw his wand cautiously as she had glanced toward the teachers table where Dumbledore had been standing looking with concern toward the enchanted globe.

Snapping her attention forward again, she recalled, as the man turned questioningly toward the headmaster, as if to ask for help. Before he could utter a word the orb flashed a brilliant white, projecting a golden sphere around him and the surrounding tables, however no one else had been caught inside. Cautiously he had looked to the walls of his translucent cage as he slowly walked to the nearest wall. Reaching his arm out, he had found the wall to be quite solid. Thinking quickly he had grabbed a goblet spilled moments before, and had thrown it at the wall where it passed through silently.

His brow had furrowed in thought, in a way that made him seem defenseless and yet more menacing than could be explained in words. As if the whole room held it's breath, he slowly turned to face the orb which slowly grew whiter and whiter until no body could continue looking at it. As the bright light had passed, the whole room simultaneously gasped.

Before them, inside the sphere, had appeared the Dark Lord. Smiling evilly at the crowd he had laughed as Dumbledore unleashed a powerful Spell into the orb, the orb rebounding the curse across the room into a window shattering it upon the students below.

The monster before them slowly advanced on the Student in the bubble, even as he threw his most powerful spells and blocks up one after another, until the creature simply blasted the wand from the boy's panicking finger tips. With a smile around the room he had grabbed the student by the throat quickly picking him up off his feet, until the boy slowly stopped protesting, weakly pushing the monster away until with one last struggle the monster drew his wand slamming it into wizards chest, until the boy slumped forward.

Dead.

The creature cackled evilly, uttering words long since memorized in her mind. With another flash the orb and globe had vanished leaving the room in a dead silence as they gazed upon a lifeless body in the middle of the great hall. The orb fell to the floor with an ear shattering clatter, rolling to a stop slowly.

With a shriek she had sprinted to the body, with others directly behind her as she slid to her knees in front of him, cradling his stiff neck in her lap. Five long purple bruises had already sprouted across his throat, as she sobbingly checked for a pulse, heart beat, or anything that would pertain to him being alive. She briefly remembered the Slytherin being cursed from multiple angles, until the flashes of light striking him faded from her view. She remembered feeling hands pulling at her as she screamed pain and agony out into the air.. The hand's became stronger, attempting to tear her from her spot, until with a scream of utter pain and emotional torment she had unleashed a shock wave, throwing the hands upon her across the floor.

Looking down at the now peaceful face, she sadly screamed for him to return to her, to open his eye's and say her name.

But deep down she knew it would never happen again.

Never again would Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, open his eyes and say anything to anyone. Let alone to one distraught Hermione Granger.

* * *

The Funeral had been several day's later, on November the third. She hardly remembered the day, which she was partially glad of. Harry's possessions were split between Ronald and herself, Ron keeping Harry's Cloak, while she kept his wand.

She had kept that wand near her at all times in the year that followed, securely in her bedroom drawer, along with a picture of Harry and herself from the Tri-Wizard tournament. One day she had left the house, to fetch food for her parents at work, and when she returned Harry's wand had been stolen, and little over an hour later she received word that his cloak was also stolen. She had mourned over the loss of the last real connection to Harry for weeks, diving into a deep depression. She eventually fought her way out of her sadness, becoming heavily involved in the order, mainly as a researcher at first, but quickly rising through the ranks. A little over a year after she joined, she was appointed leader of the order by Minerva McGonagal, Dumbledore having vanished after the Assault of Hogwarts.

She had begun staying at Grimmauld place more and more often, taking a increasingly offensive stance on the death eater attacks, instead of the wait and see stand previously adopted. Soon her attacks were becoming such a thorn in Voldermort's side, he ordered her parents to be killed. She had returned from a mission to find them both mutilated, Lucius Malfoy standing over their bodies triumphantly. The young witch had changed that day, losing her innocence to a madman. She became a hardened fighter, stepping into battle like a demon possessed, where harm never seemed to fall upon her, whether a lucky spell would down her opponent at a lucky moment, or if she should happen to fall, dodging the many curses that had been flung her way.

Others fell, and she always remained standing.

* * *

A/n: I am currently pulling a overhaul on all chapter's I've written after this, due to the loss of most of my plot line when my last laptop crashed. The story line is the same, just slightly changed, and Hopefully not so confusing


	2. Fire's leaping higher

The young witch stood, her knees creaking in the chilly December wind. Her breath escaped in clouds as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. She drew her wand silently, recasting the warming charm that had worn off moments before. She sadly pointed the tip of her wand at the stone, the ice clinging to the cool material melting away, leaving the letters standing out once again.

Hermione Granger turned to leave, her cloak flowing over the snow below her, her brown eyes sweeping the white landscape. It was quiet here, it always had been. She came here when everything got to be to much and she found herself smothered. She took time away, to think what harry would do... How she wished she could just ask him. But she'd never have that chance again.

She raised her sleeve to wipe a lone tear off her cheek, as a loud snap cracked shattered the quiet of the seconds before.

She dove behind the tombstone, turning her body to the side to lessen her body mass, while she waited for the spells to rain down upon her. When nothing hit, she chanced a peak over the tomb, her wand quickly aiming into the empty grounds of Hogwarts. Stepping out from behind her shelter, she kept her wand in hand, her eyes and ears listening for the slightest movement or sound. She watched the air, looking for the tell-tale shimmer or snow piling in the middle of the air.

Seconds stretched into minutes before the brunette lowered her wand, her eyes drawn back to the tombstone behind her as if begging her not to leave, the ruins of Hogwarts visible in the distance. Her heart sank as she turned, and without another glance, she finished her turn and vanished from the grave.

* * *

He smirked as his heart beat returned to a normal rate. He had been following the girl for a while now, the time's where he wasn't following her becoming less and less. This time was evidently different, for she had almost discovered him. He had, once again, over estimated Hermione Granger.

He was always silent, never moving more than needed, even though with the magic the man employed he needn't have worried. The particular spell he was using at the moment had him in a different phase of matter, where he could see all but none could see him, feel him, or hear him. Unfortunately it also blocked the use of all magic, as the magic would simply pass through those of the normal state of matter, and he wasn't sure what the influence of magic would do to this state.

As she sat at the late Harry Potter's grave, he had watched the tears pour onto her cheeks, but he hardened his heart to remain passive to her sadness. He waited patiently, his eye's roaming the grounds before her, his eyes even scanning the frozen lake behind the tomb. Finally, after what he assumed was about two hours, judging by the movement of the sun, and the recasting of her warming charms, she stood.

The young woman had hardly taken two steps before a loud crack echoed through the air. The man's eye's widened as he looked down to see if he had stepped upon a stick, only to see a rabbit bolting into it's nearby burrow. His eye's snapped forward, searching for the woman, which previously had been located in front of him, now, however she was several feet away, almost invisible against the tomb stone.

He saw her breathing slow, as the seconds ticked by, until she slowly stood from behind the grave, her wand still aiming forward, her eye's quickly sweeping the space before her. Her wand followed the wand perfectly, waiting to launch a spell the moment her eye's had found a target. She finally lowered her wand, her eye's almost seeming to stare into his, but he quickly shook his head, knowing it was impossible for her to know he was there. He followed her gaze to the tomb, once again, before with a hesitant twist, she vanished.

He didn't rush since he already knew where she was going, probably better than she did. Instead, he turned and strolled to the grave site.

* * *

After coming to a stop in a small motel that she had once stopped at on a vacation with her family, she quickly made her way into the motel, quickly making her way toward the room she had rented early that morning. Entering slowly, her mind abuzz, she threw herself down upon the bed. She stared at the ceiling before reluctantly lifting herself to take a shower, and warm up from the cold grip of winter air.

She gathered her clothes in her arms as she stepped into the bathroom, setting the clothes neatly out on the counter. She quickly fixed her water to a steaming temperature before she stripped, stepping quickly into the shower. She let the hot water pound upon her tired skin, washing her worries and tears away. She grabbed her washcloth and dripped the flowery soap the motel had provided onto her washcloth before lathering her body. She washed quickly, sleep edging into her, making her lean against the wall for slight support. She quickly washed her hair, the scent filling her nose making her smile.

She stepped out of the tub, quickly waving her wand and drying her hair, and body. She dressed herself in a simple pair of bright blue pajama pants and a matching blue shirt. She stepped into the bedroom of the motel, laying again on the bed. The witch held her wand in her hand, turning the vine wood wand over in her fingers, tracing the minute details with her fingernails, her eyes losing focus as she thought.

Voldemort had taken over the wizarding world in a little under six months without Harry Potter standing in his way. The ministry fell two months later, on New Year's Day. In the early hours of the morning, hundreds of death eaters stormed the ministry, with Lord Voldemort leading the army of dark wizards. The ministry never stood a chance, and before mid-day, the ministry had fallen.

Hogwarts was taken three months later in a devastating battle. Voldemort's forces pushed the defenders of Hogwarts into the great hall, where Dumbledore had single-handidly stopped the advance, until all of the remaining students and teachers could retreat. He hadn't been seen since and most of the Order assumed he was dead, but Hermione believed he was still alive.

Hogwarts remained standing for another year, however, and many people saw it as a beacon of hope, that the old ways still stood. When Voldemort failed to squash the people's hope, in a fit of anger, he leveled Hogwarts.

Her mind raced as she wondered when Voldemort would eliminate the Order, leaving the world in even more danger than it already was. Without Harry, they stood no chance. Without Harry, she stood no chance.

Her eyes closed, begging her mind to stop before it descended into forbidden territory once again. The brunette's body relaxed, her arms laying limp as she sank into slumber.

* * *

She was standing in the Great Hall, the flickering of a thousand candles casting light across the large chamber. Her eyes were locked forward, a memory that shattered her life replaying before her eyes. For the thousandth time the orb froze in front of the raven haired teen, his eyes betraying his confusion. Her body ached to run to him, to be by his side, but her legs wouldn't respond.

She watched in terror as Harry turned to Dumbledore, almost as if to ask what he should do, before she noticed a familiar mass of brown hair before her. In a flash, Hermione realized she was standing behind herself, as if viewing the memory from an outside perspective. Her eye's widened in surprise, her mouth falling slightly open. Suddenly, she felt the dream ripple, all the people in the hall remaining oblivious, as the air rippled, the taste of magic heavy in the air.

Her brow furrowed as her mind raced, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She looked around, studying the scene before her, looking for any thing different than moments before the dream rippled. Her eye's widened in horrible disbelief, her hand drawn to cover her open mouth. Tears began leaking from her eye's, silently running down her cheek before dropping to the floor.

The scene became quiet, as if everyone had been struck mute. The second's passed by in silence as she looked at the figure who had appeared beside her.

"Hello Hermione."

His voice was slightly older, deeper and slightly deeper, yet filled with a natural gentleness. He didn't look at her, he simply stared at the orb that had been responsible for his death. His emerald eye's bore into the orb, as if they could correct time from here. He finally turned to the distraught witch before him, his eye's staring into her's unblinkingly. His Jet black hair fell in disarray, a single lock falling down the front of his face, stopping just above his eyes. He had a 5 o' clock shadow, the bristled look making him look much older.

"Har-r-rry? You can't be here!" she screamed hysterically, her voice stuttering slightly. "I saw you die!" she yelled, gesturing to the room in front of her wildly.

"Hermione," he said slowly, as if feeling the name roll off his tongue for the first time, his eye's studying her face, as if memorizing it. He spoke again, his voice but a whisper.

"We both know this is a dream... As you've said. You watched me die." he said, a slight point coming into his voice as if making sure she understood.

She closed her eye's willing the pain in her heart to stop, as she sobbingly asked him, "Why did you have to die, Harry?"

She didn't hear him move, but she felt his hand gently embraced her cheek, wiping a tear from her face. She opened her eye's, the shocking green of his emerald eye's boring into her's as if trying to tell herself something.

However, he merely sighed before answering. "I can't answer that. But I promised you, I'd always come back to help you. Now it's your turn to make me a promise."

She simply looked at him, as if opening her mouth would shatter her composure completely, reducing her to a gibbering mess.

His voice escaped in a hurry, as he gently held her right hand, the feel of his rough hands caressing her smooth palm. "Wake up," he whispered, his voice full of agony. She distantly felt a pain in the hand he was holding, as if his touch was burning her.

* * *

Screaming awake, she frantically looks down, discovering a small fire burning her hand, the entire bedroom engulfed in flames. She quickly smother's the flames, a slight hiss of pain escaping her mouth, as her hand spasms in agony. She scrambles to grab her possessions, her hand snatching her wand, almost screaming as the wood comes into contact with her badly burnt hand. She clumsily swaps the wand into her left hand, trying in vain to Apparate out of the motel, only to feel the impassable thickness of an Anti-Apparition ward surrounding the motel, and it's parking lot.

Hermione clumsily sweep's her wand, producing a weak agumenti charm, putting out the fires in her room after several tries. She slowly makes her way to the window, peering through a gap in the curtains. Her heart sinks as she counts the upward of twelve Death Eater's pacing around outside.

A voice sliced through the crackling of flames and the roar of far off smoke detectors, making her scream as she drops the curtain.

"Come out, Mudblood. We know you're inside, and as you hopefully have discovered by now, you're severely outnumbered. Just give up and come out so we can take you to our Master. But if you don't.. well you'll be one burnt Mudblood."

Her blood boiled as the voice of Lucius Malfoy echoed throughout the room. Hermione's

life had been turned upside down by the man after Harry died.

She silently came to the conclusion that she had two choices. The pain in her arm made it hard to focus to do spell's correctly, and even when used in the opposite arm, they proved problematic.

She could either stay in the hotel, or turn herself in to the Death Eaters. Both options were sudden death. The Brunette knew she would never turn throw in the towel, so she gathered her wit's looking for anything she could use in a pinch.

She gathered her resolve and glanced once again into the parking lot. A few of the Death Eater's were spotted here and there, but the majority of the wizards seemed to be congregating in the southern corner of the hotel, near a large white tank. Squinting slightly, the witch smiled as she realized that the Muggle-ly challenged wizards had gathered right next to a large propane tank. She silently slipped into the hallway of the motel, the fire's leaping through the hall making her brow sweat.

Making her way through the burning hall's, she laughed slightly at her Potter plan. This is the exact type of plan Harry would develop, and quite possibly pull off.

She quickly made her way through the motel, pausing only when a flame banishing charm was needed. She came to what she guessed was the farthest room to the north in sight of the tank. She silently opened the door, making her way to the window. She peel's the thin covering back, wand raised, ready to aim at the propane tank, only for the young witch to freeze in surprise.

Instead of a group of Crazed Death Eaters ready to kill her, she was met with the sight of bodies, haphazardly piled in the center of the parking lot. The wizards sported varying spell damage, some looked as if they were merely sleeping, while others sported dismembered arm's and leg's, and in the case of Lucius Malfoy, a decapitated head. Despite the horror of the scene, she felt a slight anger that she would not be able to kill that scum herself.

She distantly heard the sound of siren's as the building behind her blazed in unnatural fire. She gazed at the carnage, wondering briefly who would have done all of this, before she attempted to Apparate once again. This time, to her thankfulness she immediately felt the air twisting around her as she popped into nothingness.

* * *

A/n: Same story line, Brand new paint job :) Tell me what you think please, and make sure you read the new details in this and the previous chapter. Review's help me write faster so Please R&R.

I'm sorry for the backtracking but I just got over the flu, and I'm not working diligently on updating my chapter's so as soon as their done I will upload them, and I already have a rough draft for my next 2 chapters planned :)


	3. Searches and Surprises

With a loud crack, a witch appears in the seemingly bombed out ruins of London, near the remains of the, now deserted, Ministry building. Hermione gazed sadly at the remains of the building's around the square, thinking back to the day the ministry fell.

In the early morning hours of New Years day, the Ministry had been invaded. About one hundred and thirty Death Eaters had Apparated into the Ministry despite Heavy Anti-Apparition wards, using the same orb's that had been used the night Harry was murdered. The Ministry had never prepared for a fight from inside, and withing three hours the Minister had been replaced by Voldemort.

The Order had captured one of these Orb devices that night, and despite a great loss in the Ministry, the order had largely been unharmed in this attack. After several day's of experimentation with the device by the Weasley twin's they dubbed them,"Ward Window's.", after there apparent ability to force ward's aside in there area of effect. They had a distinct advantage in the form of one could be used in a heavily warded area to Apparate in allies, but the main disadvantage was the fact that you had to physically carry the orb into the target area.

"HERMIONE!" A voice rang out, echoing into the darkness, as a young woman stepped out of the shadows. Hermione smiled as she took in the unmistakable Nymphadora Tonks.

Today the Metamorphmagus was wearing a Dark black cloak, with a dark red shirt hidden underneath. Her hair was shoulder length, colored a deep blue, slung carelessly over one shoulder.

The Ex-Auror gathered Hermione in her arm's before pulling away slightly, a small smile visible on her lips.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" She said, her voice bouncing off the walls of the building's around her. "We head there were Death Eater's in Gordric's Hollow!" she exclaimed, her hair taking on a slightly red tinge.

Hermione let out a sigh, before slowly speaking. "There were Death Eater's..." she trailed off slightly, her eye's seeing the bodies before her. "They trapped me in a Motel, and I had a plan to blow up a propane tank, but by the time I was in position to blow it, all the Death Eater's were dead. I don't know who did it, or how."

She could tell by the way Tonks looked at her that the young witch didn't believe her, but before she could argue with the woman, Tonks saw the burn on her hand.

"Oh my god Hermione! What happened to your hand?" The witch gently took Hermione's hand in her own, gently tapping the burnt skin.

The burns across the pale skin slowly receded, until the hand was a healthy pale again. Hermione flexed her finger's slightly, smiling as her hand stretched painlessly. The witch slipped her wand back into her wand hand, smiling as the feeling of strength swept don her arm.

"If your hand was burnt it couldn't have been you... So who did do it?" she asked, her voice hesitant.

"I honestly don't know. It had to be someone dark, but I don't understand why they'd attack Voldemort... unless it's a new dark lord." she summarized, her heart sinking at the thought of fighting a three way war.

Tonks didn't answer as she silently gazed into the darkness.

"Let's get inside, we have some new information on Death Eater movement's, and we'll also need reports on the Death Eater's that were present at the motel."

Tonks turned and stepped into the shadow of the nearest building, quickly lighting her wand as she wound her way through the buildings. They passed through a broken doorway, the trim of the door hanging from the wall, stepping into an old abandoned church, making there way through the decrepit pew's toward a door hidden in the shadows.

The smell of rotting wood filled the air as they knocked three times on the door, waiting as the door creaks open slowly. The pair didn't move as a wand is pushed through the small gap, pointing straight at Hermione's heart.

From inside the door, they hear a steely voice bark out, "Identify yourselves!"

"Hermione Jean Granger. Age 22. My wand is made of Vine Wood, with a 10 ¾ inch Dragon heart-string," The witch instantly responded, holding said wand in front of her.

"And your Patronus's form?" The voice commanded sharply.

"An Otter."

The wand deftly switched target's pointing dead at Nymphadora's heart.

"Nymphadora Tonks. Age 28. My wand is Hawkthorn, with a 9 ½ inch Threstal tail hair."

"Patronus's form?"

"A wolf." The witch replied, sighing from boredom.

The door slammed shut, a faint clicking making it's way through the thick enchanted wood. After a moment, the door slide's open revealing a giant of a man standing in the doorway. His electric blue eyes glinted dangerously, sweeping the room as the two girls make there way into the room behind him.

Shutting the door behind the two, he quickly fling's locking spells at the door, before following Hermione down the stairs into the bowels of the Church. He fell in step behind the two, nearly eclipsing them in his shadow. He stood at a towering six foot eight, dwarfing most of the people in the order. His short cropped blond hair, bangs just long enough to cover his left eye, gave the impression of gentleness, while his Vivid blue eye's, crackling with lightning gave off a deadly air.

He was in blue jeans today, a rip in the left leg from an intense spell fight several months ago. A black t-shirt was stretched across his muscular frame, the thin fabric almost pulled the breaking point. All in all, Cole McGrath was one hell of a dangerous man, one of the few that Hermione would want with her in a battle.

Hermione turned and glanced up at the large man as she asked, "Has everyone reported in from their missions Cole?"

"Everyone is back, except Mad-eye." he replied, almost running the smaller woman over as she skidded to a stop.

"When did we hear from him last?" she asked, steel entering her voice at the thought of losing another member, especially Mad-eye.

"Three days ago. He last reported in from eastern America." The massive man answered.

Her heart sank as her mind kicked into gear. Her feet carried her farther into the basement, making their way into the so called war room.

"If Mad-eye's been lost, we have to get someone over there immediately, We can't have Death Eater's running a muck in America, especially when there government doesn't know how easy it is to underestimate them." her voice dropped slightly, realizing that with Harry's death they might as well have thrown in the towel.

Stepping into the room, she saw her Ex-Transfiguration Professor McGonagall studying a wall length map of Britain, glowing red X's hovering over the map showing where they've searched before.

"Any luck Professor?" Her voice flat, lacking the emotion from previous months.

The elder woman sighed, before looking to Hermione. "No my dear, I'm afraid there is still no news." The teacher's voice lacked the sternness of precious years, replaced by the horror's of war. She had seen horrible things since the slaughter of Harry potter, including the attack on Hogwarts, the ministry's fall, and the loss of her left hand in the defense of the ministry. "I'm afraid we will not find young Ronald until he is ready to be found. I stick by my opinion that he is looking for his family."

Hermione sighed, hopelessness evident in her voice.

"Or he's dead." The young witch said, her voice so bleak the Ex-teacher couldn't find the word's to comfort her.

"How else could he go missing? He was inside the Catacombs with all of us, we turned around for a moment, and suddenly, He's gone... Even if he left willingly, how did he lose us so fast?"

"I don't know Hermione. Between you, Ronald, and.. My other student's I've seen many thing's I would have put down to impossible over the past years." McGonagall said softly, her eye's locked on her scrying map as she cast another X on the map of area's that had been searched. "You don't know the desperation that young man must have felt after hearing his family vanished, besides the twins."

" I just can't believe Ron would leave without telling anyone... Especially me."

The gray haired witch opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the large door's behind her being swung open so hard, dust drifted from the ceiling.

Everyone in the room turned to see Cole, his chest heaving as his eye's locked with Hermione, standing in the doorway. He immediately beckoned Hermione into the hallway, his eyes crackling with anticipation.

She turned and quickly strode out of the room, leaving McGonagall studying the map. Once in the hallway, the witch looked at the man before her, her eyes watching him, as he wrings his hand's.

"What's wrong Cole?" Hermione asked, attempting to sound calm, despite her voice betraying her unease. The man remained quite, evidently turning words over in his mind, hoping to explain what he was so worked up about.

She stepped closer slightly, her voice taking on the slight hardness of a leader.

"What is wrong, Cole?" She demanded, her voice causing him to blurt out.

"We found Ginny! Just outside Aberdeen.." He trailed off as her face lit up, a large smile accenting her face.

"I have to see her!" Hermione took off toward the infirmary, where three years of captivity by Voldemort would surely leave her.

"Wait Hermione! You won't..." his voice died away as she distanced herself from him, her mind solely on Ginny.

The young witch quickly snaked through the Headquarters, leaving Cole to struggle to catch up. Up ahead the Brunette saw the doors to the infirmary, looming closer and closer.

In front of her was a single body, laying on the farthest infirmary table, resting after a wayward spell took a chunk out of the unfortunate member's leg. Hermione looked around curiously, preparing to turn around to head into the rest of the building to find Ginny, but felt a massive hand gently come down on her shoulder.

The hand, which belonged to Cole, slowly turned her toward a unmarked set of doors that led to the temporary morgue. The witch stifled a cry, tears springing up in her eyes, as she slowly walked through the door.

"No.. Oh god No.." she whispered, a sob twitching through her thin frame.

She stepped through the arch way, seeing a mass of red hair splayed across a bed frame.

Distantly she heard Cole speaking. Focusing she asked him to repeat himself.

"I said she's not dead, She's in a Coma. We found her in the wood's just outside Aberdeen after an order member reported in with spell fire in the area. Bellatrix was near-by, and took out two member's who went to investigate. The last member brought her back. Pomfrey thinks she was hit with the Cruciatus curse until her mind withdrew into itself. We don't know when she'll wake up Hermione."

Hermione just nodded, her eye's locked on her friends broken body, tears streaming down her face as she thought of all the people shes lost over the past four years. Friends, Order members, and her family.. She couldn't help but think of all the people she stood to lose in the near future.

It wasn't a happy thought.

* * *

A/N: Chap 3 revised! Review and tell me how I did on the revision, I think I did much better, Added detail, elaborated on some plot line's and over all just made everything clearer hopefully :) Sorry if it's not going so fast, I'm having to write this between my College exam's so I'm stretched to the breaking point right now :) R&R!


	4. A Raven and a Request

It had been just about three weeks since Ginny's mysterious arrival. She remained in a coma, her body slowly recovering from whatever Bellatrix had put her through. The nights had become colder, until snow fell almost nightly.

It was December nineteenth now, and snow fell lazily to the ground, covering the courtyard in a blanket of white. The wind licked at her, lifting her robes gently around her ankles. She stood motionless, the silver shine of the crescent moon laying across her skin. She made no motion to move as the snow slowly piled upon her shoulder's, melting into her dark robes.

The creak of a door behind her went unheard, her mind solely focused on the past.

"You'll catch your death out here."

She remained unmoving, not even turning as the figure spoke. She heard the crunch of snow as he slowly made his way into the courtyard, coming to a stop just behind her. Behind her stood Remus Lupin, one of the few original Order members left.

"I deserve it. I've failed everyone." she whispered, her voice low.

"No you don't Hermione. War has its losses, and you've kept the Order together through everything. Dumbledore made you leader for a reason." he trailed off, his voice clouding in the air in front of him.

Hermione turned finally, allowing a single tear to slide from her eye to her cheek, before hastily wiping it away.

"Why did he leave us? I thought he would always be here for us! Instead he left us here without any hope! He left me without any hope..." her voice, clouded with raw passion, trailed off.

For a brief moment, Remus mistakenly thought she was speaking of Dumbledore, but quickly realized she spoke of his late godson. Her brown orb's bore into his, as if waiting for an answer but the werewolf merely sighed before dropping his gaze.

"I don't know Hermione. Leaving us was the very last thing Harry intended. Half the time It's almost as if he's still here, you know? Like I could reach into my memories and pull him out..." Remus said slowly, his voice full of sadness.

"Come inside Hermione, it's twenty degrees and you're going to freeze." He lifted his arm to sweep her into the church again, but, she remained standing silently looking into the stars. He sighed and turned to make his way into the church when she began to speak.

"I still think about him all the time... Just thinking about all we've done over the years.." She trailed off slowly, standing stock still. Remus opened his mouth to speak, thinking she was done, when she continued.

"Now look at us. Ron's entire family is missing, Harry is d-dead... Both by the hand's of Voldemort. Ginny's in a coma, Sirius is dead... just like my parents." The witch turned, her eyes flashing in the moon light.

He remained silent, thinking idly to himself. The weight of the world sat upon her shoulders, just like it had once sat upon Harry's.

"Come inside Hermione, Your going to freeze out here." The werewolf said, chuckling slightly as she defiantly waved her wand, the air becoming a warm eighty degrees.

"Go inside Remus.. I'll be inside in a moment." Her voice was flat as she pulled her robe off her shoulders, stretching in the warm air.

She heard the door close behind her as Remus walked inside, talking to someone as the door closed.

She remained standing, the snow around her melting away. She heard the door behind her creak open once again, than the sound of footsteps crunching snow underneath.

She turned, a small smile accenting her her face as the man walking toward her emerged from the shadows of the building. He was a small man, hardly taller than she was, but with broad shoulders, and muscular arm's he had gotten from years as an enchanter. He used a massive forge they had set up in the basement to merge magic and fire, much as the goblins made there magical blades.

As a result of the constant proximity to fire, he constantly smelled of smoke and brimstone, his robes burnt and singed around the edges. His dark brown hair hung down in front of his black eyes, hiding them most of the time.

"Hello Anthony." She kissed him on the cheek, the stubble from his beard lightly tickling her cheek. He gathered her in his arms, pulling her closer as he wraps his long arms around her thin frame.

He nuzzled against her neck for a moment, before feeling how rigid the young brunette was standing. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern. For a brief moment she wasn't looking at into a set of warm black eyes, she was looking into the past and seeing a pair of emerald eyes staring into hers.

She blinked, her eyes wet slightly. She hid this quickly by replying, "They found Ginny. She's in a Coma. Madam Pomfrey doesn't know how to pull her out of the coma without endangering her, so we're forced to wait for her to wake up on her own." She paused, a sudden thought springing to the front of her mind.

"What if she knows where Ron is?" She stammered, her voice escaping in excitement.

The broad man before her smiled as he gently picked her hand up.

"Than we'll gae rescue him." he smiled, his Scottish accent breaking through slightly. He put his arm's around the young woman's waist, gently picking her up as he twirls her around in a circle. Before long the young woman was laughing, her beautiful laughter echoing around the snow covered courtyard.

The man set her down, smiling as he felt a magically warmed gust of wind blow his robes back.

Hermione smiled up at the man, before lifting on her tip toes to kiss the man on his lips, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her again.

"I love you Hermione." Anthony whispered into her hair as she settled against his chest.

"I love you Anthony." She grinned as he looked into her eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you keeping me sane..." The witch trailed off as a strange sound filled the air.

The witch turned away from the wizard, lighting her wand and squinting into the darkness beyond the now lit courtyard.

Anthony stepped to her side, his wand pointing into the darkness also, his eyes sweeping the dark yard before him. A strange sound rang through the court yard, similar to the flapping of a large set of wings.

Hermione's eyes caught a flash of movement in the dark, her eyes narrowly tracking the speeding black mass.

"What is it?" Anthony asked, his voice on edge.

"It's a Raven.." The brunette answered, her voice trailing off as the large bird dug it's talons into the stonework of the small wall to her side. She stepped back, attempting to put a couple more feet between her and the mysterious creature.

She lifted her wand, attempting to scare the bird with the light, only for the bird to give her a seemingly patronizing look.

"What's a raven doing here?" She wondered aloud. "Most animals avoid areas of large magical fallout... yet this raven doesn't even look bothered. Also, It's staring at me.." She said, her voice steady.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anthony raise his wand, the tip glowing a deep purple. He flicked his wand at the bird, a small pop emitting from the tip of his wand. The spell sliced through the air, before dispersing against the chest bone of the bird.

For some strange reason, Hermione was alarmed for the bird, waiting for any number of things to happen to it. When the bird remained sitting upon the wall, not even moving its eyes from Hermione to show it had been hit, she asked over her shoulder, "What spell was that?"

"Bestia Humanus.*" He said, his wand held loosely at his side. She turned back to the bird, studying the bird, idly wondering why the bird remained so still.

She tore her eyes away from the strange bird as Anthony cleared his throat.

"I've been meaning to ask you an important question." he said slowly, drawing her close to his chest. She looked at him intently, her eyes widening as he reaching into his pocket, slowly pulling out a small unmarked box. The wizard dropped to one knee, hiding the box in his palm, as he looked up at the stunned witch.

"What are you doing?" Her voice coming out shrilly, even to herself.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Anthony said, his voice trembling slightly, the nervousness plain in his eyes. "Will you marry me?" he finished, his voice escaping in a smile as he lifted the small box in his hand, revealing a Gold ring with a glittering purple gem set in the middle of the curved band. The stone seemed to glow in the dim light, as if absorbing the light in the air.

The witch remained quite, looking down on the man before her. She opened her mouth to speak, only for nothing to come out. He remained smiling, his face falling slightly, the smile not reaching his eyes anymore.

"Hermione?" he said, hesitantly.

"Will you let me think about it? I've got a lot on my mind right now Anthony, with Ginny, Ron, and our upcoming attack..." She trailed off as she saw his smile die, before he quickly replaced it with a smaller understanding smile, but she could tell he was hurt.

She stepped forward, taking his hand in hers and pulling him up, until he was standing against her, putting her soft hand against his cheek.

"I love you Anthony, never doubt that. Just let me get through everything and we'll focus on this, ok?" She smiled at him, hoping to receive a genuine mile in return. He looked her in the eye for a moment, then smiled as he bent and pressed his lips against hers.

"I'll wait for you." He smiled at her as he snapped the box closed, before gently sliding it into her hand. He stepped away from her as he turned toward the door, saying, "I was hoping you would come to the forge and we could plan, but I know your busy with our attack plan's so I'll let you think for a while, ok love?" He bent and kissed her cheek, before standing again.

"I love you, Anthony." The witch replied with a foxy grin. "I'm planning out attack, but when I'm done I'll come to the forge and we'll talk." She ended by turning slightly, putting her back to him once again. He sighed quietly, smiling at the turned back.

"That sounds good to me. I'll bea working on a little prototype I 'ave been working on. Ma'be you can help me weave magic into the steel?" He asked over his shoulder as he headed toward the door.

"Sounds like a plan." The Brunette said as she watched her future fiance enter the church. She turned from the doorway, her mind mapping out attack plans already. Her plans slammed to a stop as she caught sight of the Raven once again. She had forgotten the mysterious bird was there after Anthony's proposal.

She stepped closer to the bird, slowly at first so as not to scare the creature away, but after seeing the bird watching her, almost intelligently she sped up slightly. The bird was massive, it's wingspan nearing an estimate of ten feet. The feathers had to be a foot long each, and were the deepest black the witch had ever seen, almost as if the midnight sky had been put into the birds feathers. Along the Raven's head was a tuft of feathers, looking almost like a small spiked crown. The strangest thing out of all on the creature had to be the eye's, which were a deep black, but that had a startling human intelligence to them.

The Raven remained immobile, watching her every movement, before it turned it's head, almost as if scanning the courtyard. A second passed, when suddenly the bird crowed, sticking it's left leg out toward the witch. Hermione stabbed her wand at the bird, waiting for it to attack, before noticing the pale yellow of parchment tied to the mysterious bird.

The young woman waved her wand at the parchment, whispering a spell under her breath, watching anxiously as the small band untied itself, letting the parchment to float to her outstretched hand. Grabbing the small paper out of the air, she quickly unfolds it, reading the words printed upon the paper.

The witch dropped the parchment, snapping her wand into the darkness in front of her. She slowly stepped back, her wand casting a glare over the paper bearing an ominous warning.

"They are Coming."

In the back of Hermione's mind the hand writing seemed familiar but he slammed that thought down for later. The brunette felt the cold rock of bricks nestling against her back as she came into contact with the church wall, meaning she was inches from the doorway. She slid her hand up the rock, her hand grabbing onto the thick handle of the steel door.

Hermione turned, her eyes darting to the door, before a movement in the darkness made her eyes snap back. The witch turned her wand in a defensive position, waiting for anything that might come at her. Despite her preparation, the young witch didn't even have enough time to scream as the killing curse filled her vision.

A/n: Thanks to any-one reading my story :) I'm sorry for the ridiculous Update time but I've had mid holiday depressions, and my final's for college ended Friday so between everything I have had simply no time to write :( but I'm out of school until January, so I'll hopefully have several chapter updates :) this was written in two day's so if there's any big error's please let me know :) Any way's Read and Review's, it get's my Writing blood pumping :)

Where ever there is a * in my chapter's, there is a custom spell, which will be translated at the bottom of the chapter :)

*1- Bestia Humanus- Latin; Bestia=Animal, Humanus= Human. Roughly this is the spell Lupin used to Reveal Pettigrew's true form in PoA.


	5. Destruction of a Sanctuary

The brunette screamed, her eyes slamming shut, muscles in her body tensing, waiting to feel the freezing embrace of death licking at her skin. Seconds tick by, feeling like days, before she slowly crack's an eye open, seeing a large rock suspended in the air before her, green flames running across the cracked and blackened stone.

She lifted her wand, slashing it through the air, a thick red line appearing where she ran it, before she stabbed the angry rip in the air with the tip of her wand, sending it flying through the air, like a deadly blade. She heard several bodies drop to the ground, either dodging the spell, or falling victim to it's razor sharp edge.

A blazing green killing curse slammed into the stonework inches from her face, earning a retaliating curse into the darkness. With satisfaction Hermione heard a hushed scream of pain. The witch felt the pull of the anti-Dark magic wards trigger, activated by the killing curse hitting the building. A bright light sparked from the tower of the church, rising into the air before, with a loud bang, exploding into a shimmering dome around the church. The spells from the darkness rained down upon the shield, impacting harmlessly against its surface.

A voice rang through the air, echoing off the courtyard walls, as a prerecorded message shattered the quiet.

"_We are under attack. Grab your wands, and your Intel, burn the rest. Apparate away, and wait for further instructions."_

The witch turned, flinging the large steel door open as spells pounded upon the wards, the most powerful of which smashed through the ward, leaving a rapidly healing hole behind. She slammed the door shut as a blood red curse smashed against the door, denting the door in a large spike, right where her head would have been. Hermione slashed her wand at the door, her mouth frantically screaming a charm at the door.

"Certamen!"

With a sound like metal screaming, the door and wall melded together, becoming an impassable barrier. Turning her back to the wall, she took in the sight of an organized retreat. The order had long learned to run and fight another day after a huge loss at Grimmauld Place.

People ran back and forth, grabbing the most vital intel and sliding it into messenger bags, purses, and any other cases they could lay there hands on. Whatever papers could be left behind were smoldering in a blazing fire in the middle of the room, the smell of parchment burning flitting through the air in an almost calming smell, despite the heavy spell impacts from outside.

The Brunette slowly breathed out, steeling her shaken nerves as she produced a ear shattering bang from the tip of her vine wood wand. She spoke up as everyone fell silent, turning from there paper gathering to listen to their leader.

"Everyone listen here!" The young witch screamed, straining slightly to be heard over the one-sided battle outside. "Everyone grab whatever you can and begin Appariting away. You have," The witch paused momentarily to stab her wand over her head, a pair of large burning numbers counting out one min appearing above her head, before continuing, "until this timer counts down. When this counter goes off I want everyone ou-"

The witch was cut off as a massive tremor ran through the building, the wall behind her cracking horribly, a spider web like crack running from floor to roof, sending chunks of rock to the floor.

"Forget that." She said, the crowd before her staring at her, some looking at the crack.

As if by unanimous consent, the order before her began Appariting away in small groups, the popping becoming faster and faster until the witch was left with Anthony before her.

"Is everyone gone?" Hermione asked, her eyes sweeping the room, looking for any stragglers.

"Aye. Tha onl' un we gat left es Jinny." He replied, his broad Scottish accent rolling off his tongue strongly, to anxious to speak clearly.

"I'll go get her, and I'll meet you at Robins bend." Hermione turned to make her way into the morgue, a rough hand grabbing hers instantly.

"Hermi-," He began, before she silenced him with a glare. He wanted to protest, but he knew she had something to say first, so he simply looked at her.

"Anthony. I love you," she said, her eyes strained slightly. He could see the pain in her eyes, evident even after so long over the deaths and disappearances of her friends. He knew she expected him to leave but he stood fast, simply waiting for her to finish. "You have to go. If anything happen to you I don't think I could manage." She stepped closer to him, throwing a quick hug around his waist, and for a split second he can feel the hard wood of a wand pressed into his side as she whispers inaudibly.

She releases him quickly, taking a fast step back as she opens her mouth to say, "But I have to do this myself. Activate!" She snaps, his eyes widening as his now portkey'd robes flash blue, taking him far from her. She knew later he would be angry, but she would have to deal with that later.

Hermione stared for a moment at the space before her, before bricks began dropping from the ceiling several feet from her. Her eyes snapped upwards, seeing the ceiling caving, long cracks undermining the support of the roof.

She snapped into action, her legs carrying her deeper into the church, the impact of spells slowly fading into the distance. She raced through the church, pulling a loose Galleon out of her pocket as she ran, quickly tapping it with her wand, making the small coin flash blue, before fading a lackluster gold once again. The witch burst through the doors, stumbling as the building heaved, sending a fresh wave of rocks smashing to the floor. She ran to Ginny's side, immediately checking the young woman's pulse and grabbing several emergency stabilizing potions.

Turning from the potion rack, the witch was slammed to the floor by a large rock that had broken loose. Hermione let out a blood curdling scream as another rock fell from the ceiling, pinning her arm against the floor, breaking the bone and pushing the jagged edge through her skin, blood running into her robes. Through gritted teeth, Hermione sees a section of rock falling straight above Ginny, and in desperation, does the only thing she has left. She pitches the coin wildly, waiting until it lands on the unconscious girls robe sleeve, before biting off a hurried activate.

A white light pierces the darkness, just as the rock smashes the gunnery table the young witch had just vacated. Hermione sobbed, her last chance having just gone up in a flash. She cowered closer to the rock as dirt, and dust rained down upon her as the building literally tore itself apart. The witch attempted to angle herself closer to her wand, but was unable to with her arm pinned. With a loud crack, a support beam above her fell, and with a horrified scream the girl knew no more.

He approached the church carelessly, his feet drawing him in a set path through a blaze of spell fire, not even attempting to hide himself. Soon the curse casting had faded, before they began raining down upon the wizard.

The man merely held up his hand, dozens of spells slowing to a stop, before melding into a single black ball, pure energy arcing from the ball, slicing the ground into fiery ribbon's and the smell of Ozone in the air.

He smiled evilly as he pushed the curse forward, sending the re-purposed spell slicing through the air, exploding in demonic flames in the darkness. He felt the magical presence physically lessening, telling him he had managed to kill many of the would be ambushers. He laughed as he turned toward the door to the church, now a solid sheet of metal. He waved his wand lazily, a gleam in his eyes as the door melted in its place, allowing the powerful mage entrance.

He stepped into the dim interior of the church, his black eyes scanning the room before him. He stabbed his wand in the air, the ghostly image of a young brunette appearing in the air before him. He watched the apparition, following it as it ran deeper into the church. Before long the image had slid through what was now a solid rock wall.

He flicked his wand quickly, whispering "Lifius*." as he did so.

A red shadow appeared on the rocks, before silently sliding into the cracks of the rubble, appearing a moment later blood red, now almost giving off a glow.

Tapping his wand against his leg momentarily, he waved his arm in a circle around him, his mouth whispering in an ancient tongue. His body lost color, warmth and feeling, as if his whole body had gone to sleep at the same time. He stepped toward the rock pile, phasing through the rocks as if he wasn't there.

He stepped forward, passing through the rocks until he emerged in a small enclosed space, where a young girl lay, a support beam resting over her, creating a dome to keep the rocks from crushing her. Two wands lay at his feet, caked in dust, and the man idly wondered who the second wand belonged to.

The man released his spell, his body phasing back into the world, feeling's and senses returning. The smell of mildew and dust assaulted his nose, while cold plagued his body. The man crouched down, quickly examining the girl's arm and the boulder holding her down. He quickly tapped his wand against the bottom of the rock, vanishing a small portion of it, allowing him to slide her broken arm out from below the rock.

The young witch groaned pitifully in her unconsciousness, causing the man to pause. He gently tapped the witch with his wand, her facial expressions relaxing as the pain receptors in her body turned off, leaving her in a painless sleep.

The wizard gently laid his hand upon the witches shoulder, twisting through air as the man and woman vanished into thin air.

If Hermione had been awake, being Apparated away by a mysterious man would have bothered her immensely. But alas the young woman was not.


	6. Waking up in a strange place

Days later... December twenty-first, 2002.

Hermione felt no pain.

As a matter of fact, the Brunette had not felt this refreshed in years. Sighing quietly, she almost felt herself sink deeper into the feathery comfort of the bed below her...

Bed?

The witches brown eyes flew open, immediately snapping to the tall wizard to the side of the large room. The man was staring out of a vast window, soaking in the sunlight. Shards of light danced across every surface of the room, sending dazzling displays flashing across her retinas.

Her eyes were drawn to the man, yet she attempted to downplay her interest in him by pretending to study the rest of the room. Her eyes instinctively traveled to the doorway, a mere matter of yards away. To her surprise, she found her own wand inches away, within fingertips reach.

"I see you've awaken Miss Granger." The man at the window remained standing, a hint of amusement in his voice. He made no movement to turn toward her, meerly being content with looking out the window. "I must confess, I was upset over your... predicament."

She eyed him strangely, unsure of what he was speaking of. The minutes passed, and in a huff, the frustrated witch asked, "What predicament?"

He turned toward her finally, looking into the brunettes eyes, as if the contact was the only thing in the world.

Before he spoke, Hermione took a moment to gaze at the face of the man before her.

He had shoulder length brown hair, tossed over his shoulder at the moment, pooling down his back at the moment. He had a small goatee upon his thin chin, giving him a regal, powerful appearance. His body was hidden by a large black cloak, a thin golden thread around the trim, but he seemed to be well built, mid-forties, she guessed by the slight hint of wrinkles licking at his eyes, either from older age, or severe stress.

"I am speaking, of course, about the fact that the Order has been scattered. Their last headquarters has been destroyed once again, and they are left without any where to go."

The witches face turned to steel, mind racing, wondering how the man before her knew these thing's. He looked her in the eyes, and he could not only feel, but see the spark of interest fall from her eyes, replaced by the hardened look of someone who's trust was a challenge to gain.

"Unfortunately, I don't have an idea of what your speaking. Are you sure you've got the right woman?" Her voice was light, but her frame was locked in a hostile way, just like the fact that her wand was pointing idly in her direction.

She blinked agitatedly as the man before her began laughing, his eyes never fully leaving hers.

" Miss Granger, We both know you are in fact, the leader of the secret Order of the Phoenix. Do not worry. I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help you."

She looked puzzled, the young woman examining the room around her, as she asked the question that was pulling at her.

"Who are you? And where am I exactly?" the witch asked, her heart beating frantically.

"You are in my castle, in the northern part of Scotland. Why don't you follow me?" The man beckoned, his hand waving toward the door.

She glanced to her right, staring at the door briefly, before glancing back at the man, his hand outstretched toward the witch, still buried in her bed sheets. She bit her lip gently, tugging at the corner of her lips, reluctantly leaving the comfort of her bed. She stepped from the bed, her legs giving slightly, as a fresh wave of dizziness washes over the brunette.

She leaned against the wall for a brief moment, waiting until the moment passed, her eyes once again finding his arm, which she promptly shoved away with her hand. She glared at him momentarily, the man smiling broadly at her.

Her hand skimmed the brass door knob, her other hand pushing against the wood work. The door swung open with hardly a sound, the sight of a vast hall meeting her eyes. The hall was similar to the great hall of Hogwarts, slightly smaller, and with very few portraits. The door led into the middle of the hall, to their right laid of large set of Double doors, metal bolts set inside the door, and to the left, lay a large set of stairs, with marble rails running the entire length of the staircase.

The paintings spotting the chamber were much larger than the paintings in Hogwarts, spanning the entire length of a wall. Behind her, she heard a throat being cleared. She turned to find the mysterious man standing next to the large double doors, clearly waiting for the witch to follow him. He smiled as she walked toward him before turning to the door, and with a clap of his hands, the doors swung open soundlessly.

Beyond the doorway lay a large dining hall, a long table covered in a crimson table cloth taking up the room. What made the young witch hesitate was the fact that at the table sat every member of the order, eating peacefully.

Her eyes turned to the man to her side, her mind whirring.

"How are they here? How'd you find them after the left the church?" The which asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, her hand reaching for her wand instinctively.

"They Apparated here, much as you would have done if you had not been.. out of commission." he said slowly, his eyes scanning the members before him, before turning to meet Hermione's gaze.

"We've never been here though. There's no way to Apparate somewhere you've never been before..." Her voice trailed off, her hand slowly pulling her wand out of her pocket.

"I will explain everything in due time." The man quickly said, eyeing the witches hand. "For now, please, relax and eat with your companions." Without waiting for her answer, the man turned and passed through the doorway.

Slowing to a stop, the man glanced back, and grinning slightly said, "And my name is Valen

"I will explain all, in due time of course, but for now you must humor me and eat with your companions." Without giving her time to protest, he turned and passed through the doorway, before he stopped.

He turned toward her briefly, and said, "And my name is Valen, Miss Granger." Without another word, the man walked away quietly.

Hermione walked into the dining hall quickly, making her way toward professor McGonagall, who sat quietly watching her leader approach. The elder woman set her fork down quietly, making room for the confused witch to sit beside her.

"Minerva," Hermione said coldly, her voice all business. "Is everyone here?" The witch asked, eying the people milling around the large dinner chamber.

"Yes, everyone has been accounted for. However," The ex teacher continued, seeing the questioning look in Hermione's eyes. "We are not completely sure how we came to be here. After discussing it with everyone else, we've come to the conclusion we all Apparated here, despite not knowing where here is exactly." The witch ended with her remaining hand sweeping outward to the hall.

"How long have we been here?" Hermione asked, as she caught Anthony's eye. She silently motioned for him to wait, although she could tell he was angry with her.

Hermione turned to her old teacher as McGonagall chuckled, noticing Hermione catching Anthony's gaze.

"We have been her for two days..." McGonagall trailed off as Hermione looked stricken.

"And he worried about you the entire time." The elder witch finished, smiling at her student.

"Thank you Minerva. If you'll excuse me I better have a word with him.." She mumbled lamely, slowly standing and gesturing to the man across the hall. Without a word the teacher watched the pair disappear around the Hall's corner, making there way into privacy.

Hermione caught a glimpse of Anthony's robes disappearing into a small room off the main hallway. She silently entered the room, seeing the man before her gripping the window sill he was leaning against so hard his knuckles were turning a faint white.

The witch took a deep breath, her chest expanding slightly. "Anthon-"

"Don't." The man said, his voice full of frustration. "Not only did you rush in there without ma help.. you wer' injured. And if it hadn't been for Valen you 'ould have died." He turned toward her, pain and anger evident in the way he stood, his eyes borrowing into hers. "Don't ever do that to me again Hermione. If anything happen to you.. Ae don't know what ae would do.

"I'm sorry Anthony." Hermione said softly, hanging her head. "I've lost so many people due to this war I couldn't stand losing you to." She looked up as she felt his hand wrap around her back, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but you can't save the whole world, you have to have help." He whispered, his face buried in her hair. In the back of the brunettes mind she faintly thought how ironic those words were, after being said to a certain raven haired wizard for so long.

"I just don't want to be left without an answer," he finished, looking at her with a small smile.

She smiled, not quite letting it reach her eyes as she kissed him on his cheek and told him she wouldn't leave him ever.

"Do you know who this Valen guy is?" The witch asked suddenly, shifting into leader mode.

Anthony took a step back, relaxing against the cool stone wall behind him. "We don't know anything about him really, Although were pretty sure he's telling us the truth about helping us. Something is strange about this castle though, from what our spells can determine these wards shouldn't exist. There the most powerful wards seen in generations, and from what Travis can tell us, there more powerful than the Ministry's wards."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly, her face showing her blatant disbelief. "How can that be..?

Has he said anything important?"

"No beside Meal times we don't see him." Anthony answered, his hand rubbing through his thick hair. "We've explored the castle as much as we can and it seems that this castle is amazingly large. We've only explored a fraction of it and it already looks bigger than Hogwarts."

"I need to talk to the rest of the order." Hermione kissed him again as she beckoned him to follow her into the dining hall.

* * *

A/n: So Sorry it took me so long to get an update posted, I've had a rough school start so far, and combined with loss of internet at my house I simply haven;t had a way to update. Next chapter coming within the next several days, so please R&R


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